His sister Nathalie was also managed by Cloutier. In 2004, Cloutier was convicted of sexually assaulting Nathalie when she was a child. Michel Vastel's 2005 book on the case, Briser le silence (Breaking the Silence), alleged that René co-operated with Cloutier in trying to hide the assaults. On November 18, 2005, Simard held a press conference in which he denied these charges.